A Test Ride: Project, Part III

Having spent a few days getting my bike in order after receiving new parts last week, here are my thoughts after a 20-mile ride:

The Salsa Woodchipper handlebars:  Loved them, but it’s a bit early to tell. The hoods were well positioned, and from the start very comfortable, but nearer the end I couldn’t be so sure. The drops were fabulous. Might still give a 60mm stem a try, but generally quite pleased.  The 70 will take a bit of getting used to as it is – the steering is a bit twitchier.  The only problem I can think of is I’ve got a slight lower-backache.  Can’t tell though if it was my position or just the fact that it was below freezing and I hadn’t ridden anything more than a commute for about three weeks.  For now I’d give them at least a 7 out of 10, but I’m going to hold off until I get a few more rides in (and probably until it warms up). They had one other possible good point that I’ll cover below.

On a related note, the bar tape was excellent.

Crank Brothers Stamp 1 Flat Pedals: I’ve only ridden a few sets of flat pedals, but I was quite pleased with these. The last set of flats I rode, I just couldn’t find a comfortable position.  The pins just interfered too much with my foot placement if I wanted to change it a bit.  I didn’t have this problem with the Stamp 1s. Perhaps it’s the pin placement. As you can see from the picture, there’s a bit of an offset with only the front row having 3. Overall though, they performed quite well and I think they were a good deal – 8/10.

Wolftooth 42t Oval Chainring: Here was the surprise of the day. The difference to me was noticeable, and I think part of it is my climbing style – it’s not good at all. Quite often, especially on the longer climbs, I’ll just put my head down, go to the drops, and take it one step at a time.  And that’s how it feels – like steps up a hill.  There’s a noticeable dead spot in the stroke (most noticeable at lower speeds). It’s like a slow, “whomp, whomp, whomp, whomp…” if you could imagine that.

So when I hit hills on the oval chainring, I’d do the same – go to the drops, put my head down, and start slugging away at it. But it was decidedly different.  There didn’t seem to be a dead spot in the stroke. I was surprised because I was used to a bit of a slow pause at that point, and there didn’t seem to be any.

And I think too that the Woodchippers may have made a slight difference.  Going to the drops at a comfortable spot for my hands would give me a good pull with the added power of not having a dead spot in the stroke.  You could almost liken it to a rowing position with your hands on oars – it seems a natural advantage. Again, this is something that may need a bit more time on the road to tell, but so far I give it an easy 8/10.

Stay tuned for my thoughts on the tubeless Panaracer Gravel King SS 32s. I think the setup today was quite comfortable, but I expect much more out of these tires.  My Continental Gatorskin 28s are some pretty solid tires – I’ve ridden plenty of rough gravel on the and they haven’t given me even a hint of failure, but they’re not very supple, so the ride is certainly going to be a bit rougher. Looking forward to getting these going, but I’m taking my time because I’m also pretty lazy right now and setting up tubeless the first time takes a little bit more work than slapping a tube inside a tire and pumping it up.